No doubt by now you’ve heard about Bobby Knight’s return trip to Indiana last night to speak at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, and the lick he got in on Kentucky head honcho John Calipari. Just so we’ll have it in front of us, here’s what the General said:
“We’ve gotten into this situation where integrity is really lacking and that’s why I’m glad I’m not coaching. You see, we’ve got a coach at Kentucky who put two schools on probation and he’s still coaching. I really don’t understand that.”
That’s from the ESPN.com report on Knight’s trip to Indianapolis for his speaking appearance. The initial reaction for most people is going to be to question Bob Knight’s definition of integrity. They’ll reel off a laundry list of Knight’s transgressions and try to discredit him in that fashion. They’ll assault his character and call him all kinds of nasty names. Much will be written about the irony of Bob Knight accusing another man of a lack of integrity.
Forget the slam...does he have his facts right?
Of greater importance to us, though, is the actual content of what the guy said. Everything you read is going to focus on his slam of Calipari (though he didn’t actually say the name, for some reason), but we think any examination of the statement should start with a much more basic question: is what he said factual? Were things really “cleaner” back in the good ol’ days of Knight’s time of prowling the sideline? And did John Calipari really put two schools on probation?
First, let’s deal with the first claim — that there’s less integrity now than there was, say, 25 years ago. We’ll have to disagree with The General on that one. The NCAA is much more powerful these days than it was then. Coaches, players, and even boosters are monitored more closely than ever. Sports programs at colleges and universities all over the country are so concerned with maintaining a clean image and are so afraid of the NCAA that, to play it safe, they often self-report even the smallest possibility of something that could be considered an infraction. Despite their incredible achievements, some of the faces that would go on college basketball’s Mount Rushmore of Coaches — and yes, we’re talking about legendary names like Rupp and Wooden, among others — carry with them to this day suspicion about certain aspects of how they ran their programs. We’re not naive enough to think that everything’s totally clean now, but the era of recruits having new cars and bags of money thrown at them is gone. Things were much more corrupt in the good ol’ days that Knight is saying were so comparatively wholesome. Blue Chips was then, not now.
Does Nolte's character in this movie remind you of anyone?
Second, there’s Knight’s accusation that John Calipari put two schools on probation. Again, we’d like to know Knight’s evidence on this. Everyone knows how Massachusetts and Memphis were both sanctioned by the NCAA (there’s that power of the NCAA we were talking about) during the times that Calipari was running things at those programs. What you hear much less about is that Calipari was never directly found to have done anything wrong at either locale. The NCAA, in a letter regarding their Memphis investigation, specifically told Calipari that he was “not at risk” in those proceedings. Knight is guilty of falling into a very tempting trap known as — and you logic scholars can tell me if I get this wrong — a cum hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy in his thinking. In other words, just because two things happen at the same time doesn’t mean that one caused the other. You’ll often hear really smart people (unlike your author here) state this as “correlation doesn’t imply causation.” We don’t know if Calipari is guilty or innocent. But if the NCAA didn’t have evidence to say Calipari was guilty of all this wrongdoing of which he’s often accused, and we all agree that the NCAA is the governing body which has the final say, then we have to presume his innocence. So where is Knight’s basis in making his accusation that Calipari put two schools on probation? Most likely…nowhere.
Upon reading Knight’s statement and considering the two aspects of it above, this blogger was reminded of a great Federal Express commercial from a few years ago that made fun of that sort of guy we all know who just always gets things wrong…
It’s doubtful, though, that anyone close to him will call Knight out on his lack of actual facts in the way these folks hammered their bespectacled co-worker. So if you’re a Calipari supporter of any kind and you’re all ticked off about what Knight said — don’t be. Because Knight’s premises behind that insult are factually untrue, there’s no issue here. We guarantee John Calipari won’t bother to address it except to laugh at it. Lest he continue to look like a man who just wants to grab headlines where he can (truth be damned), Knight needs to produce one of two things: the evidence behind his statements, or an apology to Calipari.
I wouldn’t hold my breath. Best to just let it go.
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1 2 3 Next »Bobby the arrogant, says this type stuff just to bring him self back into the spot light, He is just and old man who has left more negative
history behind that positive. A man who hates all things and people who are not his toads or all things that he can't claim he did, He cursed and belittled the press while showing how ill manner he is, never showing any respect to anybody, he was the man. Now he is the big man on ESPN and his toads are kissing his butt, He should just crawl off with his arrogance and his Oil Sponsors sweaters and leave the team alone that he couldn't beat, while showing the world what an axx hxxx he really was and is.
Nice to see someone that understands the unfounded slander Knight so freely tosses around like some big fat pious Santa Clause with a frost-bitten arse. He's a blowhard that tries to imply he no longer is successful because the game became crooked and he wasn't willing to cheat.
Yeah, Bobby, that's what happened. Keep telling yourself that you arrogant jackass. Just lay back and enjoy it.
I wish someone had the balls to stand up to Bobby!
He is wrong, neither of the two schools were put on probation. They both had games eradicated but Memphis is not on probation.
Having moved from God's Country (Kentucky) to Hoosier land back in '98 for prosperity and babes (don't question the propserity or babes. I second guess myself enough for that), I have been subjected to these "IU" fans on an almost daily basis. They drank the kool-aid a long time ago and Chip hit it on the head: he is an arrogant pompous ass that never showed anyone, lest his own son, any respect. I was here in the middle of the Neil Reed incident and his last chance reprimand handed down by Miles Brand. The comments he made were nothing like apologies, promise of more self-control, image of the university. He always talked about that he did it all because he loved those damn kids! (getting teary now, NOT!) His attitude has always been his way or the highway. And while the other commenters are absolutely correct, especially the author, that his comments are lack of any fact basis, you will not find one single piece of the media in this state actually make a follow up question. And you will never get him to talk about it openly or comment again. He is a coward within the shell of a bear. Ready to growl at anyone, but not because of what they say or ask, but because he is afraid you might actually find out the truth about him: he's nothing more than a self-rightous idiot. The sad thing is that many IU fans became Texas Tech fans. Not because of an endearing appreciation for the university, but to follow him. That's not a fan, that's not honorable, it's actually more coward than him.
What a refreshingly reasoned analysis. Thing is, as in politics, people believe what they want to believe. The overwhelming question is, does anyone at ESPN have the stones to stands up to this? To insist on setting the record straight? Vitale? Bilas? Anyone?
Even more refreshing than the well-written commentary is the feedback. It isn't merely that I happen to side with the posters, it is the civility of them that impresses me. Well done.
Is there some sort of bottom-feeder filter on this site?
I have stopped checking the reader comments on the Courier-Journal and Herald-Leader Web sites. Too many of them prove the veracity of C.M. Newton's comment that talk radio and Internet chat rooms are nothing more than "pooled ignorance."
This got linked over at TBK and I'm glad it did. Great piece...great insight. You're right of course, Knight will never back up his BS or apologize. No one will call him to task. The best thing to do is shrug and say, oh well...it's just Bobby and then forget him.
Thanks again for the breath of fresh air. I'll start coming over here for good commentary. You sure won't find it at ESPN or any of the other sport money machines.
Another job well done by Coach Knight. He is right on the money. I like Calipari as an in-game coach (there aren't many better ones out there) but he is as dirty as can be on the recruiting trail.
Proof? Or just a Bob Knight wannabe?